on ice

yesterday it was raining. in minnesota. in january. this is clearly a sign of global warming. or the world coming to an end. or something really freaky going on. it was quite strange to see. there is still a good amount of snow outside but it was actually raining and the temp hovered around 35 all day. so i opted to move my run to today. i had toyed around with the idea of running a half marathon yesterday since i was putting in 13 miles anyway but in an effort to trim expenses i opted against it. the fact that you can even find a half marathon in minnesota in january is amazing in and of itself i know but i can't say we need to stop spending money on non-essentials and then spend it to run 13 miles when i am going to run those 13 miles regardless right? and i am heading to ca shortly for a marathon and while i managed to finagle a lot of the cost of that trip there will still be some expenses that have not been covered yet - like food. so yeah um the point is i ran today for free. it wasn't raining. but it was still very wet as i knew it would be. the trails which had been covered in packed snow are now covered in something else entirely...inches of ice! of course i had considered this possibility but i guess not all that much. i was secretly hoping that the warmer temps and rain would magically make the inches of packed snow wash away and i would finally get my pavement. and as i started running i thought i had gotten my wish. but i quickly figured out it was not to be as i started slipping and sliding my way around. i trounced through a few puddles happy and carefree and the slushy water enveloped my socks and shoes. i knew it was bound to happen so i figured i was better off embracing it than fighting it. as i headed over a wooden bridge to a dirt path i slid maybe 20 feet but remained upright and laughed. made my way over to the snow and ran through the 4-5 inches that were on the side so as not to slip. then up the hill to my favorite place to run. usually. today however i learned a lesson very quickly. bricks freeze much quicker than pavement or concrete. probably due to the relatively small surface size. yeah well the roads on said favorite running hide away are made entirely of bricks. so i slid and slipped and had a grand ole time. made it to the top of a hill where i stood there pointed my feet to the bottom and slid all the way down on my feet. essentially skiing on running shoes. i probably should have turned around at that point but i was definitely having fun so i figured i would put in a loop and then decide what to do from there. things generally stayed the same. the stonearch bridge was another complete skating rink. luckily there is a vent down the middle that offered a small area that i could hustle down most of. the paths were puddle filled or ice covered or usually both. for 5.5 miles i saw at total of 6 people walking. most had abandoned the paths and started walking in the snow itself. i finally saw 3 other runners in the last 1.5 miles i was outside. there was something about it that was so absurd that it was amusing. i managed to stay upright the entire time. my feet were soaked. i was actually overdressed. i smiled a lot. i enjoyed all of it (and even took a few pictures of the fun conditions). once i hit 7 though i decided that in the interest of actually running the marathon in 2 weeks i should probably hit the treadmill for the remaining 6 miles so i headed home. ran a mile in tights and long sleeves then opted for a wardrobe change. ran 2 more and was so bored i decided to do intervals. not usually a long run feature but what the heck right?! so i ran 6 x 400-800 meter intervals with 1 minute rest intervals and then finished the run off at 13.25 miles. not the run i was expecting but one of the more fun runs i have had in a while. i bet the people who paid to run the half marathon yesterday can't say all of this.